A Yorkshire yachtsman,
reported missing, has been found alive and well on his yacht in the
North Sea, following an extensive search co-ordinated by Humber
Coastguard. 

His 17ft yacht,
Equinox, was approximately 80 miles east of Spurn Point (at the mouth of the
Humber) and rescuers found him relatively quickly today, thanks to an emergency
positioning beacon aboard his yacht which was activated.

The
69-year-old’s family contacted the Coastguard yesterday as they
had become concerned for his safety: they had not heard from him since 4 July
when he telephoned his son to tell him he was planning his passage
home.

His boat was last
seen in the Kiel Canal, at Brunsbuttel,
Germany.  A
police investigation revealed that the missing man had not used his bank cards
since 3 July, leading coastguards to assume that he was at sea.

Humber
Coastguard initiated the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Leconfield to
make a wide sweep of the area from Scarborough to the median line in the middle
of the North Sea. Germany counterparts carried out a similar search from
Helgoland.

A general
alert to French, Belgian, Dutch authorities and shipping was put out, and
Humberside Police logged a missing
person’s alert with Interpol.

‘Log a passage plan’ appeal

Humber
Coastguard last night also appealed to the yachtsman directly following the BBC
shipping forecast to urgently make contact and inform the Coastguard of his
safety and intentions.

Watch Manager
at Humber Coastguard, Mike Green, said: ‘We are all absolutely delighted that
this gentleman has been found alive and well.

‘It is thanks to an excellent
effort by all those involved in the search and rescue and is a testament to the
value of emergency beacon equipment.

‘It is important that yachtsmen planning
this sort of passage have adequate communications and log a passage plan with a
shore contact. The more information that is available to coastguards, the more
concentrated we can make our search efforts.’

The yachtsman
has been taken aboard a UK-registered vessel that was nearby and went to the
scene at the request of the Coastguard.

Picture: A stock image of a Coastguard Rescue Helicopter. Credit: MCA